Indian eves dominate Everest run

Kathmandu, May 12 (IANS) Nearly three decades after Bachendri Pal became the first Indian woman to summit Mt Everest, this spring, the subcontinent’s eves continued to dominate the ascent of the highest peak in the world with a second Indian woman climber reaching the 8,848m summit Thursday.

It was another feather in the crown for India’s Arunachal Pradesh state - which had sent a climber to the peak Monday - as 32-year-old Anshu Jamsenpa from Bomdila reached the top of the world at 7 a.m. Thursday after an overnight journey.

On Monday, 25-year-old Tine Mena, also from Arunachal, had become the first Indian to hoist the tricolour on the summit this season as well as the first woman climber from the North-East to bag the record.

Jamsenpa summited the peak with her Nepali Sherpa guides Lhakpa Rangdu Sherpa, Ngima Nuru Sherpa and Lhakpa Chhiri Sherpa, said Dawa Lama, general manager at Kathmandu’s Arun Treks that has organised her climb.

The nine-member expedition to which Jamsenpa belonged has three more Indians: Amit Kumar, 30, from Haryana, Ganesh Chandra Jena, 39, from Orissa, and Jackie Jacks Khajuriya, 30, from Rajasthan.

Lama said Jena would begin the final onslaught Friday while the other two were yet to complete their acclimatisation.

The power of women climbers, not only from Nepal, began to be evident Thursday with two of the four non-professional climbers who summited being women.

This week, the first Indian husband-wife duo of Vikash and Sushma Kaushik as well as a 14-member Indian Air Force Team that has eight women “sky warriors” will also seek to ascend.

Also ready for the final push is Australian Sharon Cohrs, a 40-year-old breast cancer survivor, and a 67-year-old clinical psychologist from Melbourne, Janice Catherine Smith, who will become the oldest woman to conquer Mt Everest if she succeeds, and Suzan Al-Houby, who will become the first Arab woman to accomplish the feat.